﻿18 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  During 
  my 
  sojourn 
  in 
  Montana 
  T 
  noticed 
  several 
  species 
  of 
  Tachina 
  flies, 
  

   wasps, 
  iclineumons, 
  and 
  other 
  insects 
  preying 
  upon 
  the 
  common 
  species 
  

   of 
  locusts, 
  and 
  I 
  am 
  satisfied 
  that 
  they 
  must 
  also 
  attack 
  the 
  migratory 
  

   individuals. 
  Besides 
  these 
  there 
  are 
  several 
  varieties 
  of 
  small 
  red 
  mites 
  

   that 
  are 
  occasionally 
  found 
  attached 
  to 
  various 
  species 
  of 
  locusts, 
  crickets, 
  

   katydids, 
  and 
  even 
  beetles. 
  These 
  are 
  the 
  young 
  of 
  a 
  class 
  or 
  group 
  of 
  

   mites 
  that, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  live 
  upon 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  insects, 
  particularly 
  those 
  of 
  

   Orthoptera. 
  

  

  Birds 
  are 
  just 
  as 
  much 
  enemies 
  to 
  locusts 
  here 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  Lower 
  Mis- 
  

   souri 
  region, 
  and 
  almost 
  every 
  species 
  found 
  in 
  these 
  parts 
  is 
  known 
  to 
  

   feed 
  upon 
  and 
  destroy 
  myriads 
  of 
  them 
  during 
  locust 
  years. 
  Even 
  such 
  

   birds 
  as 
  the 
  cat-bird 
  and 
  crow-blackbird 
  have 
  been 
  known 
  to 
  eat 
  many 
  

   of 
  them. 
  Eavens, 
  too, 
  and 
  magpies 
  are 
  very 
  fond 
  of 
  their 
  eggs, 
  and 
  are 
  

   often 
  seen 
  during 
  winter 
  to 
  dig 
  up 
  and 
  eat 
  great 
  numbers 
  of 
  them. 
  

   While 
  coming 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  terminus 
  I 
  noticed 
  a 
  magpie 
  capturing 
  and 
  

   eating 
  quite 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  several 
  species 
  of 
  (Edipodae. 
  He 
  was 
  fully 
  as 
  

   agile 
  and 
  interested 
  in 
  the 
  work 
  as 
  a 
  sparrow 
  would 
  have 
  been. 
  

  

  Besides 
  birds 
  and 
  insects 
  there 
  are 
  quite 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  other 
  animals 
  

   in 
  Montana 
  and 
  the 
  Northwest 
  that 
  do 
  a 
  good 
  work 
  in 
  destroying 
  lo- 
  

   custs. 
  I 
  refer 
  to 
  skunks, 
  badgers, 
  chipmunTis, 
  and 
  like 
  animals. 
  Chip- 
  

   munks, 
  although 
  animals 
  thought 
  to 
  be 
  strictly 
  vegetarians, 
  are 
  great 
  

   insect-destroyers. 
  I 
  have 
  at 
  various 
  times 
  surprised 
  the 
  little 
  striped 
  

   fellows 
  while 
  they 
  were 
  sitting 
  on 
  a 
  log 
  and 
  gnawing 
  away 
  at 
  a 
  grass- 
  

   hopper 
  or 
  katydid 
  which 
  they 
  had 
  captured, 
  no 
  doubt 
  to 
  vary 
  their 
  vege- 
  

   table 
  diet. 
  At 
  other 
  times 
  I 
  have 
  also 
  seen 
  them 
  in 
  pursuit 
  of 
  insects. 
  

   That 
  these 
  animals 
  are 
  of 
  considerable 
  aid 
  in 
  the 
  keeping 
  down 
  of 
  nox- 
  

   ious 
  insects 
  there 
  can 
  be 
  no 
  doubt, 
  since 
  in 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  they 
  

   are 
  very 
  numerous. 
  Snakes, 
  toads, 
  and 
  lizards, 
  too, 
  eat 
  many 
  insects, 
  

   and 
  no 
  doubt 
  capture 
  many 
  locusts 
  ; 
  while 
  mice 
  of 
  different 
  kinds 
  assist 
  

   a 
  little. 
  Then 
  add 
  to 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  these 
  natural 
  enemies 
  that 
  of 
  diseases, 
  

   climatic 
  influences, 
  &c., 
  and 
  we 
  have 
  quite 
  an 
  army 
  of 
  enemies 
  at 
  work 
  

   trying 
  — 
  though 
  not 
  intentionally 
  — 
  to 
  keep 
  in 
  check 
  this 
  pest. 
  

  

  Since 
  I 
  have 
  never 
  seen 
  a 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  method 
  of 
  depositing 
  

   eggs 
  by 
  Tachina 
  flies 
  on 
  the 
  bodies 
  of 
  locusts,^ 
  I 
  will 
  give 
  it 
  here. 
  It 
  is 
  

   as 
  follows: 
  A 
  female 
  fly 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  fertilized 
  skims 
  over 
  the 
  surface 
  in 
  

   search 
  of 
  suitable 
  hosts 
  on 
  the 
  bodies 
  of 
  which 
  to 
  deposit 
  her 
  eggs, 
  and 
  

   thus 
  continue 
  in 
  them 
  her 
  kind. 
  At 
  last 
  she 
  spies 
  a 
  good 
  healthy 
  look- 
  

   ing 
  locust, 
  may 
  be 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  migratory 
  species, 
  or 
  may 
  be 
  only 
  a 
  native, 
  

   nevertheless 
  it 
  is 
  just 
  to 
  her 
  liking, 
  and 
  she 
  silently 
  alights 
  upon 
  a 
  spear 
  

   of 
  grass 
  or 
  upon 
  the 
  ground 
  close 
  by 
  to 
  wait 
  until 
  the 
  'hopper, 
  uncon- 
  

   scious 
  of 
  the 
  lurking 
  enemy, 
  launches 
  into 
  the 
  air, 
  when 
  she 
  is 
  upon 
  him, 
  

   and 
  has 
  dropped 
  a 
  minute 
  egg 
  upon 
  his 
  body 
  between 
  his 
  wings. 
  This, 
  

   if 
  not 
  destroyed, 
  is 
  soon 
  hatched 
  and 
  the 
  maggot 
  eats 
  into 
  the 
  locust's 
  

   body, 
  where 
  it 
  contiuues 
  to 
  eat 
  and 
  grow 
  until 
  it 
  is 
  fully 
  fed 
  and 
  ready 
  

  

  'A 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  method 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  7th 
  Mo. 
  Ent. 
  Eep., 
  p. 
  179, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  report 
  

   of 
  the 
  Commission, 
  p. 
  319. 
  

  

  